Feed supply for drafting frames



June 6, 1939.

N. A. BATCHELDER 2,161,664

FEED SUPPLY FOR DRAFTING FRAMES 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov.`15, 1937-June 6, 1939- N. A. BATCHELDER FEED SUPPLY FOR DRAFTING FRAMES FiledNov. 13, 1937 3 sheets-sheet 2 I zwesavaw Neilson c/ Filed Nov. 13, 19373 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 6, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FEEDSUPPLY FOR DRAFTING FRAMES Nelson Allen Batchelder, West Barrington, R.I.

Application November 13, 1937, Serial No. 114,389

6 Claims. (Cl. 19-130) My present invention relates to the drafting ofIn the drawings illustrating by way of exampley cotton and other textilefibers, and more parone embodiment of the invention,

ticularly aims to provide apparatus for that pur- Fig. 1 is an end viewof a duplex installation pose with improved facilities for supplying andof slubbing frames having in combination therer, feeding the material tobe drafted. with feed and supply means in accordance withA 5 In thetextile industry, efforts are continuously one form of the invention;

being made to speed up production in the weave Fig. 2 liS a SideeleVaIO'n 0f the apparatus 0f room, as by the use of modern high-speedlooms Fig. 1; and weaving equipment, and through improve- Fig. 3 is atop plan of the same; and

lo ments in present weaving apparatus. For ex- Fig. 4 is an enlargedvertical sectional View oflO ample, in a copending application I havediscertain drive mechanism for the feed means. closed'methods and meanswhereby the produc- Referring to the drawings in more detail, the

tion in substantially any present weave room may duplex apparatus seenin end view in Fig. 1 combe increased up to approximately 25 per cent,ecoprises two frame units each indicated as a whole l5 nomcally and witha maintained or improved by the numeral 5. The frames in this instanceI15 quality of the fabric. Such increased fabric proare of the slubbertype, wherein sliver S coming duction calls for a proportionately largersupply from cans C is drafted through the frames and of yarn during agiven period. This in turn reonto bobbins (not shown) upon' which it iswound quires additional drafting and spinning equipin the form ofroving. It will be understood,

ment, for which there may not be room in the however, as previouslynoted, that my invention 20 given mill, or else forces the mill toobtain an is applicable to any frame performing a draftadditional yarnsupply elsewhere. ing operation and in which the material drafted Oneanswer to this problem of increased yarn is supplied from cans. supplylies in improved methods and means for The frame units 5 are oppositelydisposed, with 2;-, drafting and spinning, involving the use ofmultitheir spindles facing each other, leaving an aisle 25 pointed orRooney drafting rolls as disclosed in for the operative between the twounits. The the Rooney Patents 1,933,222 and 2,023,032, and in units maybe of either hand, as to drive, and as the reorganization of previousdrafting and spinillustrated are righthand and lefthand respecningequipment including various novel combitively, as determined by the endon which the v3o nations and arrangements of such Rooney rolls, drive islocated as seen by a person facing the 30 whereby it is possible toemploy roving comparspindles. The main drive elements or pulleys forable to that ordinarily obtained from a slubthe two frame units areherein indicated at 6. bing frame and to produce spun yarns directlyEach unit has a set of drafting rolls 1, including, from it in the oneframe. In some instances it in the illustrated example, upper and lowerfront,

u) is possible to go even further and to draft and intermediate and backrolls. The upper back roll' 35 spin yarns directly from a sliver such asusually 8 in each unit is shown as of the multi-pointed produced on adrawing frame. Such procedure or Rooney type previously referred to,inasmuch dispenses with various frames generally used as the supply andfeed means of my present inahead of the spinning frame, such asintermedivention is particularly useful in combination with 40 ate,roving and fine frames, and, in the instances frames so equipped, itbeing understood, how- 40 referred to, even the slubbing frames. Thespace ever, that the invention is not limited in this repreviouslyutilized by these preliminary frames spect. The lower back roll pairedwith the is accordingly made available for the installation pointed roll8, and the lower back roll shaft are of additional high-draft spinningframes. designated by the numeral 8a. The frames de- T0 supply therequirements in connection with sirably also are provided with rotaryclearer., 45 such increased facilities for spinning; an inmeans 9 forsaid upper back rolls, as more fully creased sliver supply is essential.My present disclosed and claimed in my copending applicainventionaccordingly contemplates feed and suption, Serial No. 161,060. plyapparatus, particularly in connection with To accommodate an adequatenumber of cans 5o drawing and slubbing frames but useful for any Ccontaining the sliver supply and operatively to 50 lframe Operating onsliver rrlatrral Supplied in position them with a. minimum consumptionof cans, such that a greater number of frames may floor space, myinvention contemplates an overbe operated in a given mill and may begiven an head station for someor all of the cans and prefadequate supplyof sliver consistently with existerably at least a major portion ofthem. According mill space. y ingly I provide at a level above the frameunits `55 5 and overlying them a platform I0 extending across both saidunits and for their full length or substantially so. The platform is ata suiilcient height above the frames to give ample head space, so thatan operative may comfortably pass along between the frames in attendingthem. The platform is firmly supported in any convenlent manner as bymeans of the uprights or posts I I at the outer sides of the frames anddistributed along the latter at suitable points adjacent the frames. Thesupporting structure of the platform may includes cross members such asgirders, beams or the like as indicated at I2 and 1on1- gitudinal beamsor girders I3.Av- -As illustratedfthe platform has a low guard rail I4about its edge, aiding in positioning the cans.

The cans C for the sliver supply for the respective units 5 are locatedat the opposite sides of the platform I0, arranged along the latter 'inone or more rows, three of which are indicated. inthe drawings. In thismanner an aisle. is provided lengthwise the platform, between the twogroups of cans,.for trucking fresh cans into position and removing emptyones. It will be understood in this connection that the platforms ofadjacent `duplex or other installations in the same room may beconnected by bridges or extensions of the respective platforms and thataccess to the platforms, forv the can trucks, is afforded by ramps orotherwise at convenient locations.

The individual slivers S from the groups of overhead cans are conductedto the sets of drafting rolls I of the corresponding frames 5 by rotaryguide means operated in timed relation with the backrolls of said sets.For this purpose I have herein provided a plurality or upper set ofrotary guide rolls, three of which are shownin this instance inassociation with the group of cans for each frame 5, said upper guiderolls being numbered I5, I6 and I'I. They are rotatably mounted as on abracket or framing I8 carried by uprights I 9 extending upwardly fromthe platform I0.

The several slivers S at each-side of the apparatus are taken upwardlyfrom their respective cans, through suitable guide formations such. aseyes or slots in a guide 20 on the bracket I8, from which they pass overthe inner guide roll I5, down around the intermediate roll I6 and upover the outer guide roll I'I. From the latter the slivers leaddownwardly, at each side of the apparatus, herein through confiningguides 2| on the platform structure, to the outer rolls 22 of lowersets, lone for each frame unit 5,.and which each include a second andnal guide roll 23. These lower sets of guide rolls are rotatablysupported as on brackets 24 on the main frames of the units 5 or on someother convenient fixed part. From the inner guide roll 23 of each lowerset the slivers feed directly to the set of drafting rolls "I of thecorresponding frame unit.

Both the upper and the lower sets of sliver guiding rolls are driven insuch timed relation with the back rolls 8, 8a. of rthe drafting roll set'I for the corresponding frame unit as to afford an even continuousadvancing movement for the sliver. The drive connections for one side ofthe apparatus are shown separately, on a larger scale, in Fig. 4. Asbest seen in saidfigure the inner guide roll 23 of the lower set isoperated by a belt 38 passing about pulleys on the shaft of said rolland on the lower back roll shaft 8a of the set of drafting rolls 1. Theouter guide roll 22 in turn is driven'from the inner one as by the chain3l passing about sprockets 32 and 33 on the shafts of the Yof the crossmembers I2; Figs. l to 3.

inner and outer lower guide rolls 23 and 22 respectively. The describeddrive connections may be located at either or both ends of the rollframes, and at intermediate points if desired, as in connection withspecially long frames.

For operating the upper set of guide rolls I5, I6, I'I said lowerdrafting roll shaft 8a is provided with a sprocket 35 receiving a chain36. The latter extends upwardly about an intermediate sprocket 31 on ashort shaft 38 journaled in a hanger 39 on the platform structure, asupon one Said shaft 38 has fixed on it a pinion 48 meshing with a gear4I on asecond shaft 42 also journaled in the hanger 39. On said shaft 42is a sprocket 43 engaging a chain 44 which extends upwardly around asprocket 45 Xed on the shaft 45 of the inner guide roll I5 of the upperset. The three upper guide rolls I5, I6, II are drivingly interconnectedfor rotation in unison as by the train of gears 41, 48 and 49 on theshafts of the respective guide rolls.

One or more rows of cans C may be set on the floor behind the roll frameunits 5, preferably yclose to and generally partly within the confinesof the end frames of said units. In the example shown there is a singlerow of such cans C along the vback or outer face of the roll frames. The

slivers S from these floor cans are delivered to the drafting rolls bybeing passed upwardly over the vquired. As stated, in some instancesmore than a single row of cans may be stationed at the lower level. Inany case, however, some of the cans and generally a majority of them, orall of them, are disposed in out-of-the-way position at the upper levelas illustrated, thereby freeing the floor space otherwise requiredand-making it available for additional roll frames or other purposes.

My invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereofillustrated and described herein, and I set forth its scope in myfollowing claims:l

1. In apparatus for drafting fibrous textile material supplied in sliverform, in combination with a roll frame having a set of drafting rollsincluding a plurality of upper and lower rolls in paired relation, aplatform overlying the frame at a level affording standing room foroperatives beneath it and adapted to support one or more rows of sliversupply cans lengthwise the roll frame, a plurality fof guide rollsrotatably mounted above the platform in position to take the individualslivers from cans on the platform and to direct them downwardly, otherguide rolls adjacent the roll frame and adapted to receive and forwardthe slivers to the drafting rolls, and drive means for all said guiderolls for rotating them in timed relation with the back pair of draftingrolls.

2. Drafting apparatus for operating on textile material in sliver form,comprising, in combination, a roll frame, sliver drafting devicesthereonincluding a plurality of pairs of coop- -erating upper and lowerrolls disposed in tandem,

at least one upper roll rearwardly of the front rolls having a sliverengaging formation compris- 'ing a multiplicity of radial points, drivemeans intermediate the can position and the draftingdevices, including aplurality of upper guide rolls and a plurality of lower guide rolls forcooperation with each sliver and actuating mechanism associated with theroll drive means and coordinating the latter with the guide and feedingmeans.

3. Apparatus for drafting fibrous textile ma` terial supplied in sliverform, comprising, in combination, a plurality of roll frames inlaterally spaced relation providing an aisle between them, each framehaving a set of upper and lower draft ing rolls in paired relation, aplatform overlying said frames and aisle at a level affording standingroom for operatives beneath it and adapted to support one or morelongitudinal rows of sliver supply cans for each roll frame, and, foreach frame, a plurality of guide rolls rotatably mounted above theplatform in position to take the individual slivers from the cans forthe corresponding frame and to direct them downwardly to the latter,other guide rolls adjacent the respective frames and adapted to receiveand forward the sliversV to the drafting rolls of the correspondingframe, and drive means for rotating the guide rolls for each frame intimed relation with the back pair of drafting rolls of that frame.

4. In combination, in a frame having a set of rolls for performing adrafting operation, an elevated deck for positioning a plurality ofsliver cans, a plurality of upper guide rolls on parallel axeslengthwise the frame and at a level above the cans on said deck, guidemeans to direct the sliver from each can to and about said plurality ofrolls, other guide rolls for the sliver from said cans at a lower leveladjacent that of the drafting rolls, positive drive connections betweena.

driven back roll of the drafting roll set and said lower guide rolls,and other positive drive connections between said back roll and theupper guide rolls.

5. In combination, in a frame having a set of rolls for performing adrafting operation, an elevated deck for positioning a plurality ofsliver cans, a plurality of upper guide rolls on parallel axeslengthwise the frame and at a level above the cans on said deck, otherguide rolls for the sliver from said cans at a lower level adjacent thatof the drafting rolls, drive connections between a driven back roll ofthe drafting roll set and said lower guide rolls, and other driveconnections between said back roll and the upper guide rolls, one ormore of said lower guide rolls being arranged to conduct sliver from acan supply supported adjacent the base of the frame.

6, In combination, in a frame having a set of rolls for performingavdrafting operation, an elevated deck for positioning aplurality ofsliver cans, a plurality of upper guide rolls on parallel axeslengthwise the frame and at a level above the cans on said deck, toothedgearing interconnecting said guide rolls, other guide rolls for thesliver from said cans at a lower level adjacent that of the draftingrolls, and separate chain and sprocket means respectively for actuatingthe upper and the lower guide rolls in coordinated relation with adriven back roll of the drafting roll set, one or more of said lowerguide rolls being arranged to conduct sliver from a can supply supportedadjacent the base of the frame.

NELSON ALLEN BATCHELDER.

